Rathnayake Tharanga Lakmali vs. Niroshan Abeykoon et al. – SC FR 577/10-2019

In the case between Rathnayake Tharanga Lakmali (Plaintiff) and a group of police officers (including the Inspector of Police, Police Sergeants, Constables, higher-ranking officers) along with the State of Sri Lanka (Defendants), the Supreme Court addressed the alleged infringement of fundamental rights under Articles 11, 13(1), and 13(4) of the Constitution arising from the arrest, custodial treatment, and subsequent death of the petitioner’s husband, Ranamukage Ajith Prasanna. It was held that the deceased’s fundamental rights had been violated through torture, inhuman custody practices, and procedural irregularities, and that adequate due process had not been followed. The court reaffirmed the constitutional mandate for the State to protect life and liberty, drawing on both domestic and